KI Puts the Learner at the Center of Education Design at EDspaces 2026

Booth #2001 will explore how understanding the individual student can shape more responsive, engaging, and human-centered learning spaces

GREEN BAY, Wis.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--At EDspaces 2026, taking place October 28 to 30 at the Kansas City Convention Center in Kansas City, Missouri, KI invites educators, architects, designers, and education leaders to look beyond the physical classroom and consider the people at the center of it. At Booth #2001, KI will bring its “Portraits of a Learner” concept to life, centered on a simple idea: learning is layered, and every student holds a world within.

There is no average learner. Every student brings a different combination of needs, strengths, behaviors, experiences, and ways of engaging with the world around them. Yet learning environments are often expected to support every student within the same four walls.

As schools continue to navigate changing student needs, evolving teaching models, and new expectations for classrooms, KI is using EDspaces to explore what it means to design around the whole learner.

“Designing for education starts with understanding that there is no single picture of a learner,” said Bryan Ballegeer, vice president of sales & marketing, education markets at KI. “Students interact with classrooms differently based on how they move, focus, connect, collaborate, and feel. Our role is to help schools create spaces that can respond to those differences while supporting the realities educators face every day.”

Seeing the Learner Before Seeing the Product

At EDspaces 2026, KI will translate the Portraits of a Learner concept into a visual and physical exploration of the many dimensions that influence how students engage with learning and the spaces around them.

The KI booth will illustrate how physical, sensory, cognitive, emotional, and social dynamics intersect. Rather than presenting furniture as an isolated solution, KI will demonstrate how products and spaces can work together to give students more opportunities for movement, choice, comfort, connection, and engagement.

The approach reflects KI’s longstanding work in K-12 and higher education, where the company collaborates with educators, administrators, districts, and design professionals to create environments that adapt to changing learner needs.

“Education design is about more than selecting the right products,” said Jason Lazarz, national manager of architecture & design at KI. “It is about understanding how people learn, interact, and use the space. When we put the learner first, the products become part of a much bigger story.”

Featured Products Designed with Learners in Mind

KI will preview three new, never-before-seen furniture solutions at EDspaces 2026:

• Neara Collection: An agile teaching hub that brings coordinated desks, purposeful storage, and mobile support together to help educators stay prepared and present for the moments that move learning forward.
• Foray Collection: A flexible laminate shelving solution for school libraries, combining integrated shelving and tables to support collaboration and multi-use spaces.
• Havara Lounge Seating: A new lounge solution designed to bring comfort and respite to learning environments through soft curves, generous cushioning, and cocooning forms that create welcoming spaces for pause and connection.

KI will also feature several recently introduced and established solutions, including Cogni Seating, Tributaire Collection, Outspan Outdoor Collection, and Clamber Tiered Seating.

Officially introduced in June 2026, the Kiaura Collection™, built with Cognetic Technology™, designed and invented by Aaron DeJule, will make its first EDspaces appearance, highlighting a different dimension of human performance seating through a chair that responds to natural movement.

Education Thought Leadership and Booth Events

Attendees are invited to join KI for a booth happy hour from 3-5 p.m. on Wednesday, October 28.

KI will also bring its education expertise to EDspaces through two CEU-accredited EDsessions on Thursday, October 29:

• Building a Sense of Belonging on a College Campus
  8-9 a.m.
  Katie Clark, higher education market manager at KI, and Isaiah Thomas, associate dean of students at Occidental College, will explore how campus settings can contribute to belonging and connection.
• New Horizons for Learning Environments in the Age of AI
  2-3 p.m.
  Emily McGinnis, K-12 market manager at KI; Jolene Levin, K-12 research advisor at KI; and Tomas Jimenez Eliaeson, design partner at Little, will examine how learning environments must evolve as schools respond to changing technologies, student needs, and expectations.

Designing the Whole Environment

KI Wall and Pallas Textiles will also be present within KI’s EDspaces booth, extending the learning environment story beyond furniture. KI Wall brings adaptable architectural solutions to educational spaces, including solutions that can create opportunities for privacy, focus, collaboration, and sensory support. Pallas Textiles will showcase the role textiles play in shaping the character, comfort, and performance of educational environments, balancing aesthetics with the durability and cleanability required in high-traffic spaces.

Most notably, Booth #2001 at EDspaces 2026 will mark a shift in perspective: before asking what a space needs, ask who it is for. When every learner experiences school differently, designing for learning actually means designing for the layers that make each learner unique.

For more information about KI’s participation at EDspaces 2026, visit ki.com/edspaces/2026.

ABOUT KI

KI manufactures innovative furniture for education, healthcare, government, and corporate markets. The employee-owned company is headquartered in Green Bay, Wisconsin, with sales and manufacturing facilities worldwide. KI tailors products and service solutions to the specific needs of each customer through its unique design and manufacturing philosophy. For more information, visit ki.com.